Engine.



A N. NICKERSON, ENGINE.

APPLICATION mm JUNE rs. 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Wfizess Q. EM.

Patented Mar. 26, 1918.

A. N. NICKERSUN.

ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED IUNE 16. 1916.

Patented Mar. 26, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALMA. N. NICKERSON, 0F STONEHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO JOSEPH H.

MONEIL, OF SAUGUS, MASSACHUSETTS.

ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 26, 1918.

Application filed June 18, 1916. Serial No. 104,094.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALMA N. NICKERSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Stoneham, in the county of Middlesex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Engines, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in single-acting steamengines, and has for its object to provide an engine of this character,which may be readily reversed and which will be as eilicient whenoperating to drive the main shaft in one direction, as in the other.

A further object is to simplify and improve the means for controllingthe steam supply and exhaust in an engine of the type above referred to.

I accomplish these objects by the means shown in the accompanyingdrawing, in which- Figure 1 is a central sectional and partlydiagrammatical view of the cylinder and valve mechanism of a reversibleengine embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a central sectional view of the engine cylinder taken at rightangles to the section of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross section at the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Figs. 4 to 9 are section views showing different positions of the pistonand valve mechanism.

Figs. 10 and 11 are central sectional views at right angles to eachother, of the cylinder of an engine of the non-reversible type,embodying a feature of my invention.

Figs. 12 and 13 are similar views, partly in elevation.

Fig. 14 is a detail view illustrating the application of automaticgoverning mechanism.

While I have only shown the application of the invention to a singlecylinder, it will be understood that it is intended to be applied to anengine having at least two cylinders, and may be applied to engineshaving a still greater number of cylinders, but such additionalcylinders have not been shown, as this would involve mere duplication.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 9 of the drawings, the cylinder 1 is providedwith a single-acting piston 2, having a connecting rod 3 directlyconnected thereto and to the crank 4 of the main driving-shaft 5, of theengine.

The connecting rod is directly connected to the piston by acylindrically-shaped head 6,

which is mounted to oscillate in the piston and has a pair of ports orpassages 6, 6 therein, which are adapted to be brought into and out ofregister with passages 2, 2 and 2", 2, respectively, of the piston ashereafter explained, said passages 2 and 2" leading from the sides ofthe piston, at opposite points, to the head 6, and said passages 2" and2" leading from said head 6 to the working face of the piston.

The cylinder is provided with oppositely disposed steam inlet ports 1and 1", which are connected to steam inlet pipes 7 and 8, respectively,and is also provided with an exhaust chamber 1, which opens to theinterior of the cylinder through port 1 and to which an exhaust pipe 9is connected. The inlet pipes 7 and 8 are connected to opposite ends ofa valve casing 10 in which a hollow piston valve 11 is arranged, saidvalve having an annular groove 11 formed therein midway thereof andhaving suitable operating means, as the connecting rod 12 and hand lever13, located at one end of the valve casing, a steam supply pipe-14 beingconnected to the opposite end thereof, and a branch pipe 15 beingconnected to the middle portion thereof and to the exhaust pipe 9.

Opposite portions of the piston are provided with longitudinal groovesin which sliding cut-ofi valves 17 and 18 are mounted each having a port17 18*, therein, adapted and arranged to be held in register with theinlet ports 1, 1", respectively, and with the outer ends of the pistonpassages 2, 2, respectively. Each valve 17 and 18 is provided withsuitable means for adjusting it longitudinally, the particular meansshown comprising a post 19, 20 mounted in the valve and connected b alink 21, 2:2 to a hand lever 23, 24, which is adapted to be locked indifferent positions of adjustment.

As will hereinafter appear, the parts may be adjusted to cause theengine to be driven in either direction, and in Figs. 1 to 9 the partsare shown as adjusted in the position to cause the main shaft to bedriven in the direction of the arrow of Fig. 1. When thus adjusted, thesliding valve 18 will be moved to its outermost position, so that theinner end of its port 18 will be in register, with the inner end of theport 1", and the valve 17 will be adjusted inwardly to some point,according to the position at which the steam supply is to be cut off, aswill be hereinafter explained. V

\Vhen the piston valve 11 is in its middle position, it will close bothports leading to the steam supply pipes 7 and 8, and, When it is desiredto admit steam to the pipe 7, the lever 13 is moved inward so that steamwill pass thereto through the hollow valve 11, and by this movement,communication between the pipe 8 and branch pipe 15 is establishedthrough the annular space 11 so that port 1 is opened to the exhaustpipe 9.

In Figs. 1 and l. the piston is shown in its innermost position, inwhich position the passage therein in open communication with the port17" of the slide valve 17, and the port l of the cylinder, to which thesupply pipe 7 is connected, so that, when the piston valve 11 is open,the passage 2* will contain steam under pressure. In this position,however, the inner end of the passage 2 will be practically closed bythe head 6, but, as best shovvn in Fig. 4, the ends of the passage 6therein are so arranged that when the connecting rod 3 is moved slightlyto the right, by the passing of the crank beyond the dead center point,communication will begin to be established between the passages 2 and 2through the passage 6, in the head, so that steam will be immediatelyadmitted to the Working face of the piston; the passageway thereto beingfully open as soon as the pie-- ton has moved outwardly a shortdistance, as shown in Fig. 5. It may be noted that this exact timing isnot essential, as steam may be admitted either at a slightly earlier orlater time. As the piston moves outwardly, connection between thepassages 2 and 2 is maintained, but the outer end of the passage 2 soonbegins to pass beyond the outer end 01? the port 17*, of the valve 17,so that, when the piston has, for example, half completed its stroke,the em trance to said passage 2 will have passed beyond the port 17, asshown in Fig. 6, causing the steam supply thereto to be cut oil", andthe remaining portion of the outward stroke of the piston to be madeunder the expansive force of the steam. As the piston nears the end ofits outward movement and the steam in the cylinder has expanded toatmospheric pressure, the working face of the piston will be carriedbeyond the exhaust port 1*, so that the interior of the cylinder willthen be opened to the exhaust during the remainder of the outwardmovement. of the piston, to the position of Fig. 7, and also during itscorrespending return movement, suction and compression during thisportion of the piston travel being thus prevented.

"As the piston face passes said port 1, on the serum movement, as shownin Fig 8,

the head 6 will be turned until the passage 43 therein is in opencommunication with the .assage 2" and 2, as Hllfi'il'll in Fig. 8, so tlat, beyond this point, the cylinder will exhaust through the passages2" and 2*", through the port in oi the valve 18, and through the port 1"and pipe 8, to the branch pipe 15, through the connecting valve recess11*, and to the exhaust pipe 9. As the piston nears the end of itsinward movement, the head 6 will be turned sufficiently to closecommunication between passages 2 and 2, as shown in Fig, 9, so thatcompression will take place during the re mainder of the inwardmovement. The operation above described will then be repeated.

The engine may be driven in the opposite direction by reversing therelative positions of the slide valves 17 and 18, and moving the inletvalve 1] to its opposite position, so that steam will be admitted to thepassage 8 which is connected to the port 1", and the passages 2" and 2will become supply passages and the passages 2 and 2* will becomeexhaust passages, being connected to the pipe 9, through pipe 7, valvecasing 10, and branch pipe 15, and the operation being otherwiseprecisely the same as that already described, and its operation on thereverse being as efficient as its operation on the forward motion, thisarrangement being especially advantageous for marine Work, and formotor-driven vehicles.

Engines employed for the above purpose constantly have an engineer inattendance, and frequently carry, under normal conditions, a constantload, so that the point of out-off is not, and does not need to be underautomatic control.

In Figs, 10 to l-l, the application of a feature of my invention to astationary engine, which is adapted to be run in one direction, only,shown. As shown in said figures, the cylinder 25 is provided with asingle supply port 25, to which the steam supply pipe 7 leads, and thepiston 26 has an inlet passage 26 opening at one end to said port 25 andat the other end to a head 27 having a connecting rod 28 fixed therein,said head also having a port 27 which, in certain positions of saidhead, connects the passages 26 and 26 to admit steam to the working faceof the piston.

A slide valve 30 having a port 30, and similar in function and operationand ar rangement to the valve 17 is also provided, said valve beingpreferably operated automatically to vary the point of cut-off by meansof any suitable form of speed governor 31, as indicated in Fig. 1-1. Thepiston 26 is also preferably provided with. exhaust passages 26, whichare arranged to be com nected with passages 27* in thehead 27 onthereturn movenient ot the piston, said pas till sage 27 leading to theends of the head and being in open communication with grooves 27 in thesides of the piston, said grooves being in open communication with anexhaust chamber 25 in the cylinder 25.

With this arrangement, the exhaust port in the side wall of the pistonmay or may not be employed, and the particular location of the exhaustpassage is not essential beyond a location which permits an open exhaustduring the return movement of the piston. The operation is substantiallythe same as that already described in connection with the engine of thereversible type, that is, steam is admitted through the supply pipe 7and passes through the ports 25 and 30, passage 26 in the piston,passage 27 in the head 27, and the passage 26"" in the piston, to theworking face of the latter, when the piston is about to move outwardly,and is in the position of Fig. 10. The supply of steam to the workingface of the piston is cut oil as soon as the end of the passage 26passes beyond the port 3O in the cut-ofi' valve 30, and the interior ofthe cylinder is opened to the exhaust port 26 during the latter portionof its outward stroke, and first portion of its inward stroke. Beyondthis portion of the inward movement, the cylinder will be opened toexhaust through the piston passages 26", passages 27, in the head 27,and the grooves 27, in the side of the piston, which latter open to theexhaust chamber 25, as indicated in Fig. 11.

I claim 2- 1. A single-acting steam-engine comprising a cylinder havinga cut-off device located in its side wall and provided with a steaminlet port, a piston having an inlet passage therein leading from itsside to its working face and arranged to be held in communication, atits inlet end, with said inlet port, during a portion of the pistonstravel, an oscillatory valve in said piston having automatic means tomove said valve to open and close said piston passage during thereciprocation of said piston, and means to adjust the longitudinalposition of said cut-off device to vary the point at which the inlet endof said piston passage is moved out of communication with said inletport.

2. A. single-acting steam-engine, comprising a cylinder having an inletort in its side wall, a piston having an in ct passage leading from theside thereof to the working face and arranged to be held incommunication at its inlet end with said inlet port during a substantialportion of the pistons travel, an osciilatory valve in said pistonarranged to open and close said passage, a r-om'iecting-rod for saidpiston arranged to oscillate said valve during the reciprocation of thepiston, a cut-off device disposed between said inlet port and the inletnd of said piston passage and havin a port therein arranged to be heldin register with said inlet port, and means to move said outoff devicelongitudinally of the cylinder to vary the point at which said inlet endof said passage passes out of communication with the steam inlet port,on the outward movement of the piston.

3. A single-acting steam-engine comprising a cylinder having a steaminlet port in its side wall, a piston having an inlet passage thereinleading from its side to' its working face, automatic means to closesaid inlet passage during the return movement of the piston and to openit during the outward movement thereof, a valve mounted in the cylinderbetween the inner wall thereof and the piston and having a passage therethrough arranged to be held in communication with said inlet port at oneend and with said piston passage at the opposite end and slidablymovable longitudinally of the cyl inder, to vary the point ofdisconnection between its assage and the inlet end of said piston durmgthe outward movement of the latter.

4. A single-acting steam-engine comprising a cylinder having twoseparate ports in its side wall leading to the interior thereof atcorresponding po1nts, a reciprocating piston therein having two inletpassages, each leading from points in its side to its working face, avalve in the piston arranged alternately to open one of said passagesand to close the other on the opposite movements of the piston, separatecut-off devices mounted to engage the inner wall of the cylinder foradjustment longitudinally thereof, each having a passage therethrougharranged to be connected at one end with the inlet end of said pistonpassages to connect said ports and passages throughout differentportions of the travel of the piston, and means to connect either ofsaid ports to a source of steam supply or to the exhaust in alternaterelation.

5. A single-acting steam-engine compris ing a cylinder having twoseparate ports in its side wall leading to the interior thereof atcorresponding points, a piston therein having two inlet passages, eachleading from the sides thereof to the piston face, a valve in saidpiston automatically oscillated on each reciprocation thereofalternately to open one of said passages and close the other on theopposite movements thereof, cut-ofi' devices independently movable toconnect said cylinder ports and the entrance ends of said pistonpassages at diflerent points in the travel of the piston, andvalvemechanism arranged to connect either one of said ports to a sourceof steam supply, and the other to the exhaust.

6. A single-acting steam-engine compris ing a cylinder having twoseparate ports hated at opposite pointa in its side-wall, a, mipmcatingpiston therein having two inlet pasmgea each leading from correspondinpoints in its side to its Working has, va e-mechanism in the istonarranged alternateiy to open one of said passage: and to close the otheran the oppssite movements of the piston, means to vary the point ofconnection of said passages with :0 said ports and means to connecteither of mnae e. In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to thisspgcification, in the presence of a subscribing witness.

ALMA. N. NICKERSON. Witness:

H. B. Burs.

his 0! till pitent may be attained far he Gents eash. by ambush: thcamnisflaner of Patents,

Wuh-tsgton, D- G.

